Ugh. Another Model S fire - 2013-11-06

[EdA]

I don't own a Model S (yet), but I'm curious whether it can be locked into maximum height, usually reserved for going in and out of steep driveways, no matter what your speed is? If so, how is the ride? Hardly a day goes by that I don't see something laying in the roadway while driving in an urban expressway environment. That, combined with potholes and bad urban roads in many cities and poor rural backroads that I frequent, I would probably keep mine in "urban mode" much of the time.

Someone posted this earlier, and I'm paraphrasing from a very bad memory, but:

Highest < 11mph
High < 21mpj
Standard
Low - highway speeds

There is no manual override (yet?).

/Ed

 

[jerry33]

I don't own a Model S (yet), but I'm curious whether it can be locked into maximum height, usually reserved for going in and out of steep driveways, no matter what your speed is?

No. Each height is based on a particular speed. Locking the height is something that's been requested. I don't doubt it will come in some future upgrade.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

@K5ING

I also don't own a Model S (yet) so I cannot answer to your question. Anyway to me it looks like you could easily work out your problem to drive in an urban environment by choosing 19" tires. I would have the same problem in Rome and if I will manage to buy a Model S I will certainly go with 19" tires for the same reason. (In Rome we have huge potholes and bad urban roads).
Then of course the air suspensions can help too. I would go with the air suspension too. Just my opinion.

 

[NoMoGas]

Clearly the Model S needs a way to drop its battery pack while traveling at speed, similar to the Starship Enterprise ejecting its warp core to prevent damage to the main ship. :wink:

I know its a joke but there may be something to the ability to jettison the burning battery and save the car.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

I know its a joke but there may be something to the ability to jettison the burning battery and save the car.

Great idea. But I am afraid that this way you couln't swap the battery anymore.

 

[J1mbo]

Uh oh... now it's the iPad Air. I wonder if Apple are sending a team out? Looking forward to Tim Cook's blog post! /s

 

[JRP3]

What is relevant here are the facts, not the perception that is based on partial facts.

If only the general public shared this viewpoint, but they don't. They react to hype.

Perception is strictly emotional whereas a valid opinion considers comparative facts. I'll still stay that this is un-proportionately magnified. Fact is that there have been three Model S fires, fact is that every time driver walked away unscathed, fact is that a group of people and media are unfairly fanning this fire, and that is how mole becomes a mountain (minus the strength of the mountain).

You're exactly right, and rather are making my point. Reality loses out to hype. Volt sales were hurt by the "fire" nonsense, and Tesla says the Roadster sales were hurt because of the Top Gear nonsense. Perception wins over reality.

As I understand it:

– Fox News and the fringe outlier right wing talk-radio-hacks have all been absolutely relentless in their constant bullying/bashing of the Volt.

Yes.

– The Model S has basically been universally praised by everyone in the automotive press. It’s just in a completely different league compared to the Volt.

Yes, but that didn't stop Fox News and right wing radio hacks, and a presidential candidate, from spreading large amounts of misinformation about Tesla, the Model S, and EV's in general.

– The Model S is a pure EV. This combined with the previous point seems to make it much more desirable than the Volt.

Again, you're being rational, yet there are still many people who think the Volt is an EV, not a hybrid. You, and others, are giving the general public too much credit. I've been fighting the misinformation for years, it's getting better, but slowly.

 

[brianman]

It's kind of remarkable how many "back seat engineers" topics like this bring out.

If I was an anti-Tesla person or organization, I'd be learning there's gold here. Just throw random issues at Tesla and watch their forums light up with how they should constantly retrofit everything. Death by 1000 cuts eats into profit margins pretty quick.

 

[JST]

I know its a joke but there may be something to the ability to jettison the burning battery and save the car.

If there's a problem that adding explosive bolts doesn't solve, I haven't found it yet.

 

[Hybris]

But when everyone is driving the model S... Would dropping the battery pack not risk starting a domino effect? Loads of metallic burning stuff on the road? ;-)

 

[jerry33]

But when everyone is driving the model S... Would dropping the battery pack not risk starting a domino effect? Loads of metallic burning stuff on the road? ;-)

That why a better solution is instead of forcing the flames from the fire to the ground, funnel them into a turbine generator to charge the unaffected modules. With one or more modules missing, you'll likely appreciate the additional range

 

[Hybris]

Aaahhh... The Knight Rider boost! ;-)

 

[Raffy.Roma]

That why a better solution is instead of forcing the flames from the fire to the ground, funnel them into a turbine generator to charge the unaffected modules. With one or more modules missing, you'll likely appreciate the additional range

You mean to switch off one or more modules inside the battery pack when the flames start?

 

[jerry33]

You mean to switch off one or more modules inside the battery pack when the flames start?

Well, the pack on fire is already non-functional, the others are on and just need to have a second path for charging while driving. The plan is to capture the energy released in the fire rather just venting it. As Hybris says, maybe there should be a way to start a module on fire to give an immediate 5 kWh boost. Great for the drag strip or tractor pulls.

 

[K5ING]

No. Each height is based on a particular speed. Locking the height is something that's been requested. I don't doubt it will come in some future upgrade.

Thanks both Ed and Jerry. While they're at it, it wouldn't hurt to put a button on the wheel or dash to raise/lower it on demand either. I picture a Model S driver sitting at the end of a driveway while going through the menus for the control to raise it enough to pull in.

 

[jerry33]

While they're at it, it wouldn't hurt to put a button on the wheel or dash to raise/lower it on demand either.

Tesla is allergic to buttons and display clutter. They might do a scroll wheel menu for it.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Well, the pack on fire is already non-functional, the others are on and just need to have a second path for charging while driving. The plan is to capture the energy released in the fire rather just venting it. As Hybris says, maybe there should be a way to start a module on fire to give an immediate 5 kWh boost. Great for the drag strip or tractor pulls.

To me it would be better to switch off the damaged modules preventing them to catch fire and allowing the other modules of the battery pack to work. IMO this would be the best way to prevent fires to start on the Model S. Of course I am not a battery expert and I don't know if my idea is feasible.

 

[yobigd20]

It wouldn't work. Road debris come out suddenly. And as stated above at highway speeds there is no time to raise the car after having detected a road debris.

What, a half mile warning isn't enough to adjust suspension?

 

[jerry33]

To me it would be better to switch off the damaged modules preventing them to catch fire and allowing the other modules of the battery pack to work. IMO this would be the best way to prevent fires to start on the Model S. Of course I am not a battery expert and I don't know if my idea is feasible.

A serious answer (previous posts about generators and tractor pulls were for fun): If the module is damaged enough to start a fire, the chemical reaction has already started. There isn't anything to turn off. Venting it to the ground is the only practical approach that I am aware of.

Putting a self-lowering-at-speed air dam on the front car would reduce the chances of debris getting under the battery pack, although you might have to replace it every few thousand miles because it would likely get chipped from non-problematic road debris. Because the air dam would be in front of the tires, tire damage wouldn't be a particular problem either. Of course, the drivers to either side of you might not appreciate the road debris.

 

[tdelta1000]

Someone on twitter suggested to Elon and Tesla: "The military has used Poly urea coatings to improve the performance of armor, without adding a lot of weight."
Anyway seems like a promising idea. Worth a shot at testing anyway! Could be quite easy to retrofit but I've no idea how expensive this stuff is...

Alpha after watching the video i agree that the bedliner coating can be viable solution to the problem.